Men's Soccer

Men’s Soccer 2011 Preview: Climbing the Ladder

Aug 15, 2011

MEQUON, Wis.
-Like the other perennial challengers for
the Northern Athletics Conference title, the Concordia University
Wisconsin men's soccer team is looking to unseat current champion
Dominican University in 2011. While the Falcons have ranked
consistently in the top four of their league with Aurora University
and MSOE, none of those schools has been able to top the five-time
champion Stars. Head coach Tom Saleska feels this year's squad has
the tools and mindset to put together a memorable season and be
competitive with the best.

"I am confident in
our ability to have a successful season," Saleska said. "I believe
this because we return several solid starting players, a fact which
should help us stay consistent on both ends of the field. Another
strong recruiting class and a little luck staying healthy will take
us a long way."

The Falcons return
five players who received NAC All-Conference recognition a season
ago, after helping the team finish with a 12-6-3 record. It was the
17th time in Saleska's 18-year career at the helm that his program
earned double-digit victories.

The focal point of
Saleska's team has always been defense - allowing just 0.96 goals
per game last year - and this season will be no different. The
backfield will once again be led by senior Bryan Samuel
(Brookfield, Wis.), junior Jason Rogers (Glendale, Wis.), junior
Jacob Streicher (West Allis, Wis.), and sophomore Jacob Pope
(Muskego, Wis.).

The trio combined
to play over 5,300 minutes as the last line of defense in front of
senior goalkeeper Samuel Ische (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), who returns
for his second season as the full-time starter. Ische recorded five
shutouts and a .750 save percentage, on 177 shots faced, during his
junior campaign.

"The strength of
our team is the returning experience on defense," Saleska said. "I
would like to see us play at our peak in the beginning of the
season. If we can eliminate a few inconsistencies in the early part
of the year, it will help us become a better unit."

Junior Kyle Sytsma
(Antoich, Ill.) returns as the offensive leader for CUW after being
ranked in the top-10 among NAC players in several categories, most
notably sixth in points (27) and goals (11).

"We scored enough
goals to win last year," Saleska said. "Offense comes down to
having that special player, which we have been missing for the past
two or three years. Sytsma was good offensively for us last year;
however we have several candidates who might fill that 'special
player' void."

The Falcons will
open training camp later this week with an estimated 43
student-athletes reporting, including 20 freshman. Saleska sees
Justin Holentunder (New Berlin, Wis.) and Juan Perez (Antioch,
Ill.) competing for a starting spot, but nobody is a
lock.

The time and
commitment the Falcons have put in over the past 10 months will be
on display when they open the season at Fitting Field on Sept. 1
versus St. Norbert College at 5 p.m.